Irish-American Books

If all you know of the Fighting 69th is the movie with James Cagney and Pat O'Brian you need to read this book.

The Duffy in the title of Duffy's War is Father Francis Duffy, the beloved chaplain to New York's famous National Guard Regiment the Fighting 69th. Through the stories of the men who in that Regiment, Stephen Harris tells of its participation in the First World War. Father Duffy wasn't the only famous man featured in this book. Serving in the Regiment was at the time were William "Wild Bill" Donovan who would win a Medal of Honor in combat and in the Second World War found the OSS, the forerunner to the CIA; and Joyce Kilmer, the poet who penned, "Trees." But the tale could not be told without telling the stories of the less well known citizen soldiers who answered their county's call to arms.

The 69th had a heritage as a regiment of Irish immigrant and sons of Irish immigrants with battle honors that included every major Civil War battle fought in Virginia. As part of the 42nd "Rainbow" Division, formed and eventually commanded by General Douglas MacArthur , the 69th, rechristen the 165th Infantry made history and fought in five campaigns n 1918. The author tells of these campaigns with some of the clearest descriptions of battle I have ever read.

Meticulously researched and told with a clear narrative style, Harris blends official records, first person narratives and personal papers to tell the story of ordinary men performing extra ordinary deeds.

In the interest of full disclosure I must tell you that I consulted with Stephen Harris on the history of this proud Regiment. [...]

I am really enjoying this book! (And not just because my Grandfather served in the Fighting 69th during WWI.) These events, and these personalities make for a good story. And Harris, while on the one hand an exacting researcher and historian, is also a wonderful story teller. The story is flowing off the pages; images, scenes and characters painted in my mind. As webmaster of "Grandpa's WWI Diary", I have spent years piecing together the events my Grandfather and his regiment experienced. In Duffy's War, Harris manages to bring it to life, weaving together historical details, the recollections of 69th veterans, and the flavor of that era. Duffy's War gets all my stars -- Nathan Rouse

This is a very good book and thoroughly researched about the Fighting 69th Regiment New York US Infantry. It provides a very detailed account of the Regiment's actions in the Great War of 1914-1918, although the United States did not declare war on Germany until early 1917. The Regiment was transported to France towards the end of 1917 and went into the trenches in February 1918. The book describes the various actions in which the Regiment fought and the doughboys suffered very heavy casualties in its advance to the Hindenberg Line. The book was based upon the writings from his diary of the regimental chaplain Father Francis P Duffy, who also wrote a book in 1919 about the Regiment, a copy of which has recently been received from Amazon and will be my next read.

I've read a lot about the American Expeditionary Force and the Fighting 69th, but Stephen Harris's study really expanded my knowledge about both. I'll certainly have a much better appreciation of Joyce Kilmer's "Rouge Bouquet" next time I hear it read and of the goings on at the River Ourcq next time I visit that battlefield. What I really enjoyed, however, was the author's biographical sketches and background on a whole raft of fascinating individuals. These include average Joes caught up in the adventure of lifetime, Medal of Honor recipients, plus well-known characters like Kilmer, Wild Bill Donovan and--most importantly--the namesake of the book, Father Francis Duffy. The good father turns out to be amazingly multi-dimensional: a good Samaritan to Teddy Roosevelt's returning malaria-afflicted Rough Riders, a learned modernist intellectual who works his way into his bishop's doghouse, a military politician of the first order, the proud protector of his Irish and unofficially Irish flock, and New York City's most beloved humanitarian. A strong recommendation for Duffy's War.

The 69th regiment, is one of the oldest and most famous units in the United States Army. It's history goes back to 1851 when it was known as the 69th New York Militia. ('A' company can trace its roots further back to the Revolutionary War.) The unit gained fame at numerous Civil War battlefields and Gen. Lee gave it the name 'The Fighting 69th.'

This book takes the regiment into the next war, World War I, where its actions were no less heroic. It spent 170 days in the front lines suffering hundreds killed and thousands wounded. Perhaps its most famous members were Father Francis Duffy (whose statue is in Times Square, which technically is really Duffy Square), Wild Bill Donovan who headed the OSS in World War II, and the poet Joyce Kilmer ('Trees') who was killed. The regiment was part of the 42nd Rainbow Division under Douglas MacArthur.

This is the full, previously unpublished story of the regiments actions in World War I and fills out a trilogy of stories concentrating on individual regiments by the same author.

The 69th still exists. It was one of the first military responders at 9/11 - having two men killed there, and it was federalized and sent to Iraq in 2004.

I have decided to write this review despite the fact that I have only just ordered the book, and have not yet read it. I did however, just celebrate Chinese New Year (The Year of the Dog)with Barbara (the author) and Jim (her scrappy Irish hubby). I had never met them before last evening and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and speaking to them. I already know that this is going to be a 5 star book!!! Nice meeting you Barbara and Jim (and Jack and Grandpa)

A fast and fun read that captures the little nuances of the classic love-hate romance. It may also be one of the best fictitious renderings of a newsroom I've ever read. Ms. Fischkin is a great comedic writer, with impeccable timing and a wonderful literary voice.

As a Pulitzer Prize winning winning journalist, I'll tell you that this is the funniest newspaper book since Scoop

An excellent start in her first fiction novel. Fischkin takes us from Long Island to Ireland and gives a wonderful look into the world of journalism. Her characters are funny and endearing. As I know the "Real Mulvaney" and am familiar with some of he other real-life characters, it was fun for me to try to figure out what was true and what was untrue. Her sharp wit and obvious love for her husband, the egotistical but loveable Jim Mulvaney and his escapades, keep you turning the pages. I couldn't put it down and can't wait for the sequel.

Have you ever been crazy about someone who drives you crazy? Someone you think is wonderful even though they use all the wrong strategies to try to convince you that they are wonderful? Barbara Fischkin has captured this nutty dynamic in a romantic comedy about two self-absorbed but lovable journalists, their Irish-Jewish culture clash, and their misadventures chasing down stories about IRA and ETA terrorists. You will laugh very, very hard. I promise.

Everyone who aims for the ultimate, the elusive, and the exquisite, ought to pack. The edition is affordable, durable, well-organized, comprehensive . . . and produced with care NOT to alter the form or format of the poems . . . which for some dreadful reason a lot of folks seem to feel compelled to do . . .

more importantly . . . all that white witchcraft still dazzles

For those whose aquiantance with the Belle of Amherst is limited to the classroom edition - i.e., There is no Frigate Like a Book, et al., look again. Dickenson really is the epitome of the rugged individualist - a free spirit - in ways surprisingly opposed to her contemporary, Whitman, she arrives at similar conclusions going no further than her garden. She is the inward sojourner - at home in the harshest tensions and conflicts of the psyche - where her distinctly feminine sensitivity speaks truth in "slant" - as she qualifies her enormous insight.

Most haunting: 'Success is counted sweetest', 'To learn the Transport by the Pain', 'My life closed twice before its close', and, "My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun -". Dickenson laments our sovereign anguish, our exile from the immediate truth or the comprehensive immediacy of truth, the quest for which her poems articulate an urgent hunger enveloped in alternately the most naturistically ambient references or stonily direct terms.

There are Emily Dickinson's greatest poems, most of which my guess is , have in one way or another been anthologized. There is her complete oeuvre of 1775 poems, a large volume indeed. I am not a Dickinson scholar and I found myself a bit lost with such a large number of poems to search through for new gems.
This present volume edited by the dean of Dickinson scholars purports to choose of the total oeuvre the very best of her work.
I truly appreciate this as a volume of this kind can extend my knowledge and appreciation of her poetry in a way which is most economical and helpful to me.

When it comes to choosing an edition of Emily Dickinson's poems, we need to be very careful. Selections of her poems have appeared in many editions, and the earlier ones - which are still being reprinted - often contain extensively edited and revised versions of her poems which do not give us what she actually wrote.

Her poems are so unusual, in terms of their diction, meters, grammar, and punctuation, that earlier editors felt obliged to replace her characteristic dashes with more conventional punctuation, and to regularize and smooth out her texts to make them more acceptable to readers of the time.

In fact, it was only when Thomas H. Johnson's editions appeared that readers were finally given an accurate version of the original texts, with Emily Dickinson's diction and punctuation restored.

Johnson has produced three different editions of the poems. The first, a 3-volume Variorum Edition (1955), includes all of her many variants, since Emily Dickinson often added alternate words to her drafts and in many cases seems never to have decided on a final reading. These variants, though extremely interesting to scholars, enthusiasts, and advanced students of ED, are not really necessary in an edition for the general reader.

What the general reader needs is an edition in which the editor, after closely examining the manuscripts and taking into account all relevant factors, gives what he feels is a sensible and acceptable reading, and this is what Johnson has given us in the two other editions he prepared, a Reader's edition of the Complete Poems (details of which are given below), and an abridgement of this which included only what he felt were her best poems.

In other words, readers can feel confident that in the present edition they have been given (insofar as it's possible to get her idiosyncratic manuscript drafts over into typography) at least one accurate reading of ED's original draft.

Those who would like to look at the variants can always consult Johnson's Variorum (1955), or the more recent Variorum of R. W. Franklin (1998). Better still, if they can, they might take a look at R. W. Franklin's sumptuous 2-volume 'The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson' (1981), which gives photographic facsimiles of many of her manuscripts.

Emily Dickinson is a very great poet. Personally I think that in some ways she is the greatest poet of all. In the present edition we have been given accurate texts of a selection of her poems, arranged so far as was possible in chronological order of composition. Johnson's is an edition which should serve the general reader well enough for most ordinary purposes.

Another excellent Reader's edition that can be recommended has been prepared by ED's most recent editor, R. W. Franklin (1999). Either of the Johnsons or the Franklin (which contains 14 additional poems) will give you access to a body of poems that are so far above the ordinary run of poems that we really ought to have another word for them.

Just as a prism breaks up light into a band of colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet - and their infinite gradations, so do Emily Dickinson's poems become, as it were, a prism which conducts the white light of reality, a reality which as it passes through the prism of her poem explodes into a multiplicity of meanings.

It is the rich suggestiveness of her poems, a suggestiveness which generates an incredible range of meanings, that prevents us from ever being able to say (to continue the metaphor) that a given poem is 'about red' or 'about blue,' because her poems, as US critic Robert Weisbuch has pointed out, are in fact about _everything_. This is what makes her so unique, and this is why she appeals to every kind of reader.

Emily Dickinson's poetry is one of the wonders of the world. Whether you select one of the Johnsons or the Franklin edition, it will become a book that you will cherish, a golden book and endless source of pleasure and inspiration that you will find yourself returning to again and again.

For those who may be interested, details of Johnson's reader's edition of the Complete Poems are as follows :

THE COMPLETE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson. 784 pp. Boston : Little, Brown, 1960 and Reissued. ISBN: 0316184136 (pbk.)

I was never actually a fan of poetry until I encountered Emily Dickinson's poems. It seems as if she has written a poem for everyone. I strongly recomend this book, as my English teacher did to me, not only because of my love for Emily Dickinson, but for the quality of the book. It is obvious that Thomas H. Johnson, the editor, put many long hours of hard work into gathering this collection. Many of her poems were simply scribbled on little pieces of paper, which makes me wonder what kind of literary genius she must have been. With the help of this book, she has become my favorite poet, and I have learned that poetry can be strong medicine for the hurting soul. Final Harvest never leaves my side.

Don't get me wrong, I truly love a large selection of the poems in this volume. However, that is a measure of Emily Dickenson and me, not T. Johnson's collection. What makes this book better than many that are around and about, as has been mentioned, is the lack of editing to her poems--something that has always bothered me. In this regard, the content of the poems is better than many others, however there are other issues of note.

This is, of course, an abridged collection. As such, we are forced to rely on the opinion of another. Granted this is common enough with poetry collections, but that doesn't change the very nature of each person having differing interests. There is no way to know if the ones he leaves out are just as good or even better, from each individuals perspective, without going to more comprehensive texts.

Regardless, I do have one gripe with this book that is unrelated to the above pettiness. The method of dating each poem seems silly to me. The reason is that they are all claimed to be from one of several (if memory serves 3) years separated out over several decades. That and there are two listings of dates for each poem, which I don't recall off hand why they did that, and it may serve some purpose, but it's not useful information if when these poems were written can only be pinned down to plus or minus five-ten years. I can't blame Johnson for this as I imagine that is as close as is known, but, by the same token, the dates could have been left out so that it doesn't detract from the actual poetry.

All in all I would recomend this book, but I might suggest getting a more complete version instead (so long as it is unedited--Emily hated it when people wanted to edit her poems, and I think that we should respect that).

Hilarious--Boylan has scored another comic triumph. The Great Pint-Pulling Olympiad keeps the reader reeling with dazzling displays of erudition, caustic commentary, and a constant barrage of laugh-out-loud episodes. But this is a farce with a heart; even at their most ridiculous, Boylan's characters are deftly drawn and fully human. If you think you'll finish this book without caring about the people within it, then the joke's on you.

More captivating than Boylan's Killoyle. The Olympiad has characters that are rich in their actions, preoccupations and obssessions. Boylan is witty and erudite, and his book is a treasure-trove of deliciously clever details and footnotes. There are some hysterically funny scenes you shouldn't miss. A book unlike any other. Buy it!

Very highly recommended reading, The Great Pint-Pulling Olympiad: A Mostly Irish Farce is a rollicking roller coaster of a novel by Roger Boylan and set in the days leading up to the Pint-Pulling Olympiad in the town of Killoyle, Ireland. A cross-dressing church sexton, a drunk who loses his job as a car tester and sues for wrongful termination, unemployment seminar hosts who sell missiles to the IRA on the side, and other memorable characters populate the pages of this engaging and topsy turvy tale with surprises hiding around every corner.

I am not quite finished this book - it's taking a while because I keep putting it down to laugh. The footnotes are a great addition and an entertaining read in and of themselves. Boylan's language is as fast and intriguingly unpredictable as Mick McCree's test drive. Don't know what that means? RYou'll have to read the first several pages to find out.
If you have despaired of reading a book that is both hilarious and literary, despair no more. I also recommend that you drink a pint or two while reading.

I teach comic fiction, and this is one of the funniest novels I know. It has been years since I was so sorry to see a book end. It is, however, far more than a collection of laughs. Like the work of other Irish masters from Swift and Sterne to Beckett, Flann O'Brien, Patrick McCabe, and Martin McDonagh, Boylan's novel continually blends the comic with the dark, revealing profound connections. He provides, for example, access into the minds of terrorists, from Irish ultranationalists to Basque separatists, yielding insights you will find nowhere else. His characterizations are masterful, and, like Sterne, Joyce, and Beckett, he is also a great formal innovator. I will never again consider teaching my Irish Comic Writers course without this marvelously rich novel.

This was a happy find: a well-written, thought-provoking book that I had never heard of. The quiet tone and subtly shaded characters are reminiscent of Alice McDermott's best, and not only because they share an Irish heritage. The story moves forward and backward in time, building details introduced in passing into unforgettable characters. I especially admired the silk-dyeing lore -- I didn't know that Paterson, NJ had such a romantic history. A book to treasure.

I am a lover of all things Irish. So when I picked up this book and saw it had to do with an Irish Immigrant I started reading. Houseguest deals mainly with the interactions of people on a personal level and how those interactions impact on one or both of the people. I was especially interested in Edward's reflection on caring for his wife & young daughter. How guilty he felt for wanting to scream/run away. I wouldn't want people to think all Immigrants wind up living with the upper class, rent free for months. Not likely. Very good novel. The references to Edna O'brien are correct.

A friend promised I'd love this, and love it I do--incredibly intimate, and deceptively simple story-telling. Reminds me of Laurie Moore and, a little, of Edna O'Brien--very different writers, obviously, but this writer shares common ground with each.

This is simply a wonderful book, an elegant, straightforward masterpiece. It is a tearjerker without being maudlin, a love story without being overblown, a family drama that is poignant but never cliched. The story of a family pulled apart by death and circumstance‹and reunited in an unpredictable but thoroughly satisfying way, The Houseguest is a book you won't be able to put down‹and won't want to.

I read this wonderful book straight through, lost in the world of an Irish-American family during the Depression. Rossi is an amazing writer: her characters are so honestly and deeply observed that they are haunting, and the things she evokes--Sunday afternoons, a beach house in winter, the tension just before a love affair begins--are rich with clear-eyed but compassionate detail. This is one of the most moving novels I have read in years. It is romantic without being melodramatic, and the ending is so satisfying and lovely that I closed the book crying. The Houseguest will stay with me a long time.

Great regimental history and story of the 1st LA "Tiger" Bde. To learn more about the "orginal" Tigers, Wheat's 1st Louisiana Special Battalion, read: The First Louisiana Special Battalion: Wheat's Tigers in the Civil War.

This book is a fascinating and intriguing account of the 6th Louisiana. While Gannon named his book Irish Rebels and covered the majority Irish members, he does give due to the Louisianians and other immigrants who made up the regiment. I was grateful to see this as my ggggrandfather was one of those members in a company from outside of New Orleans, Company C, the St. Landry (Parish) Light Guards and to see the action his unit took part in on paper was a great experience. It gave a story to my grandfather's participation in the War I never knew!

I stumbled onto this book while researching my family history, and was absolutely taken with the story of these men. Gannon is a gifted writer with a reverence for his subject, respect for the facts and sources, and a warm narrative style. This book is a treat to read, and in doing so you will not only develop a personal interest in the lives of these brave Irish men, but you will understand how their lives impacted the nation we have become. Irish Rebels is a marvelous story, told by a master!

A very personal portrayal of a predominately Irish brigade from New Orleans fighting for the south. The enigma is that this regiment had the highest percentage of Irish in any brigade plus they were linked with the famed Wheat's Tigers plus they fought in Virginia during the entire Civil War. This is particularly impressive since New Orleans was captured so early in the war and the 6th Louisiana virtually became orphans in regards to State support. Much like the famed Kentucky Brigade. Gannon is a excellent writer that through intensive research provides flowing first hand accounts particularly from the brigade priest and Captain Ring. The high point of the book is the close up look at where the brigade participated in major campaigns and battles. They were a key part of the Valley Campaign, particularly Port Republic, the Seven days, Cedar Mountain, both Bull runs, Gettysburg, Early's Valley campaign including the threat to Washington and the disasters at Cedar Creek and Fort Steadman. The best gem in the book is the section on the capture of Rappahannock Station, which was an isolated bridgehead for Lee's army located on the north side of the river. This fascinating break down in strategy and command is very well focused and told in detail because the luckless 6th is one of the 3,000 troops that virtually get overwhelmed and captured in a sudden attack by large numbers. This little told event precedes Grant's arrival but seems to reveal problems in southern command caused by the lost of key officers and the strain of a long war on the Confederate supplies. The sadness of the brigade is captured as it is progressively whittled to only 50 odd survivors at Appomattox.

As the author of this book, it is not my place to review it. However, I thought Amazon customers would be interested in what some published reviews have said about my book. Here are some quotes from reviews of Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers, with the publication noted: "Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers ....is a full-blown regimental history of a Confederate regiment that stands second to none in the Confederate Army. Raised in New Orleans, this unit fought from First Manassas to Appomattox Court House....IRCT is a first-rate regimental history...There is no published history of the unit so the author had to dig hard and long to come up with many scraps of material to put this work together. He writes a smoothly flowing narrative....you can get to know the men and care about them....It is one of the best this reviewer has seen in a long time."--Mike Cavanaugh, in Civil War News, April 1999.

"James P. Gannon, a former Wall Street Journal editor fascinated with the role of Irish immigrants in the Confederacy, takes his place with other distinguished military historians by adopting, and even improving upon, this classic literary form....This is careful history, backed by more than 100 pages of notes, individual biographies and source material....meticulous research...." --Duncan Spencer, The Washington Times, Aug. 29, 1988.

"James Gannon makes this unit come alive. The book is that rare work which combines the prose of a good novel with the solid research of a piece of classic history. Gannon is a former editor of the Wall Street Journal and the Des Moines Register. His journalist background is evidence on every page." --Gary Joiner, The Shreveport (La.) Times.

"Gannon's book is one of the best I have ever seen on the history of a Civil War regiment. The listing of members is a great research aid for any family historian. This beautiful hardcover volume...contains 388 pages with photos and illustrations and maps." --Damon Veach, The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Ireland's history is a violent one and, as Fulbright Fellow Carol Daugherty Rasnic shows in this book's first chapter, this is not only true for the 20th century but dates back at least to the island's 1169 Norman conquest - and actually, even further, as the Viking invasion of the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries consisted of a series of rather aggressive campaigns as well. The difference, however, was that despite these bloody beginnings the Viking colonists were eventually absorbed into Irish culture and daily life; contributing thereto rather than continuing their attempts at its suppression. Conversely, throughout much of Ireland's subsequent history, suppression was the preferred method of government of both the Normans and their British descendants; who brought in English settlers not to cultivate the island together with their Irish neighbors but to drive those out, thus sowing the seeds of the hatred still plaguing its society today, and no more so than in the six provinces still constituting British-controlled Northern Ireland, after the ill-famed 1920 Partition which eventually brought independence to the island's southern part.

Inseparably linked to nationality was, particularly from the times of Henry VIII on, the issue of religion; the English settlers being Protestants belonging to the Church of England/Ireland, while the vast majority of the Irish hung on to their Catholic faith; thus suffering discrimination not only on the basis of their nationality but also that of their religious beliefs. Tracing the multiple facets of today's division to their historic origins, Professor Rasnic shows how the identification as "Catholic" and "Protestant" has long come to exceed a mere religious denomination, mixing with everything from a person's stance towards the British administration of Northern Ireland to his or her national/ethnic origin, area of residence and social environment; to the point that the religious label is used even by those who have little to no spiritual connection to the church whose faith they claim as their own.

In the eight chapters following the book's initial historic overview, the author takes an in-depth look at the major issues dominating contemporary Northern Ireland life and politics, from ethnic strife and the (particularly: "Orange," i.e. unionist) parades, apt to newly ignite the fires of hatred every summer, to issues of governance, the release of prisoners convicted of terrorist acts, "decommissioning" (i.e., disarmament of the paramilitary groups active on both sides of the conflict), the position of the police and the administration of (criminal) justice, human rights and instances of persisting discrimination, and finally, the sectarianism in the province's schools, threatening to perpetuate the existing divide for a long time to come. Particular emphasis is given to the terms and effects of the so-called Good Friday Agreement, the April 10, 1998 agreement between Northern Ireland's major political parties and the governments of Ireland and Great Britain designed to bring an end to the province's "Troubles."

Although the book is subtitled "An American Legal Perspective," this is by no means the work of an outsider: Professor Daugherty Rasnic herself is the daughter of Irish immigrants on both parents' sides, and prolonged stays in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have intimately acquainted her with an island which, quite obviously, is not merely her ancestors' home but an inseparable part of her own identity as well. A lawyer by training, she moreover brings to the subject the analytical skills necessary to digest problems as intricate as those ravaging the province of Northern Ireland; and her interest in and experience with the American civil rights movement provides for a truly unique perspective, enabling her to not only put the Northern Irish situation into a larger European context but also draw comparisons to similar issues of racial strife and discrimination in the U.S.

Aware that the issues she addresses - particularly with regard to the legal aspects of the Good Friday Agreement - may well have the effect of a strong barbiturate on her non-lawyer readership, the author apologizes for having to address matters which "only a constitutional [law] purist could love." Quite unnecessarily so, however, as she does a marvelous job in explaining a set of highly complex questions of constitutional and international law which, I am sure, are confusing to many lawyers as well. Moreover, Professor Rasnic's manifold comments, anecdotes relating to her own experience and sections entitled "A Personal Perspective" provide a truly personal tone; while scholarly in its overall approach to the subject and dedication to detail, the book nevertheless reads more like a conversation with the author, reflecting much of her doubtlessly vivacious nature, passion, empathy and sense of humor - humor even in the face of adversity proving her yet again, as cliche (and maybe not just that) would have it, a true daughter of Irish parents.

In addition to all its other merits, this book also benefits from its author's easy access to over twenty principals and other individuals involved in the Northern Irish peace process, from then-First Minister David Trimble and Police Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan to Northern Ireland Assembly members of virtually all political colors (with the notable exception of the Rev. Ian Paisley, whose camp seems to have been the only one to adopt an obstructionist attitude), judges, attorneys, clergymen, social workers and professors at various universities; all of who add their own insight and perspective on the "Troubles," and whose comments are faithfully reported; in many instances verbatim.

Professor Daugherty Rasnic concludes her analysis with the words of Irish poet William Butler Yeats: "I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." Like the great poet's words, her book expresses the hope that, one day, Northern Ireland may find a lasting way out of its "Troubles" (and no doubt, she is watching the province's recent political developments with a certain sense of trepidation). With this book, she has made a contribution of her own to the search for such a path - and I have a feeling that it will not have been the only one.

I have read many different types of books over the past 60 years, but this book is by far the best, fiction or nonfiction alike. Professor Rasnic has accomplished what many authors wish they had accomplished, by giving the legal perspective in a human and many time humerous way, makes for easier reading for those of us who may not always understand legaleaze. This book in my estimation should be on the required reading list for anyone who wishes to understand the legal aspects and history of American and Irish similarities during the same periods in time.

Northern Ireland: Can Sean And John Live In Peace? An American Legal Perspective by Carol Daugherty Rasnic (Professor of Employment and Labor Law, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia) is an impressively researched and presented study of the conflict in Northern Ireland, including the religious and political forces that drive it, as well as the law and the legal system as a means to deal with what the Irish called "the troubles". A thoughtful, exhaustive, scholarly inquiry, Northern Ireland is a sober and informative account and a very welcome contribution to academic International Studies modern reference collections concerned with global issues and conflicts in general, and Contemporary Irish Political History reading lists in particular.

The world has too many Northern Irelands, and most of the time we form our opinions from some politcal ideology we have, or some news report or TV program. What we really need to be honestly informed about these "trouble spots" such as the Middle East or Kashmire or Ireland is to read a well reserched and well written book like Carol D. Rasnic work. She has certainly paid her dues and told us about something she has studied and live in for many years.And most important, she has not taken sides.

This book allows the American reader to gain insight into the true nature of what Irish call "The Troubles".

The conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions is viewed from the perspective of a American woman. Her experience with segregation in the American South enabled her to understand the cultural and economic factors that divide these groups.

Her insight clarifies the fact that this is not simply a religious issue. It is one of long standing cultural and economic differences between all factions.

I found this book to be an invaluable aid in understanding the complex and difficult social hostilities that afflict these people of a common background.

Professor Rasnic has spent a great deal of time in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Her contacts with officials, politicians, clerics, and most of all, the Irish citizens gives her a special perspective. This was an enjoyable and educational read.

T.S. Eliot is a major figure in 20th century literature for criticism, publishing and poetry. On the critical front he is known for his ýrediscoveryý of the Metaphysical poets Donne and Marvell, his collections of essays ýThe Sacred Woodý and ýThe Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticismý; as a publisher he was a director of Faber and built up a stable of ýmoderný poets such as Auden and Ezra Pound.

It is, however, for his poetry that he will surely last and this collection gives a marvelous selection of his works. The first poem in this collection ýThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrocký is a masterwork with superb imagery and a marvelous sense of humour and irony as it gives us the words of a man who seems much older than Eliot must have been when he wrote it, it was first published while he was in his twenties.

While some of his poetry seems to miss the mark as too dense and perhaps overly constructed others have rich layers of imagery and allusion that reward a little effort and rereading with a sense of large and vivid meaning and depth. ýThe Waste Landý, one of Eliotýs most famous poems and responsible, along with other poems of the period such as ýThe Hollow Mený, in giving Eliot a reputation as one of the ýdisillusionedý modern poets. Eliot denied this, saying he gave ýthe illusion of being disillusioned.ý ýThe Wasteland is four hundred lines long and is quite enigmatic, some scholars have said that it may have been less enigmatic before Ezra Pound helped and convinced Eliot to cut it back from an original 800 lines.

The last major work in this volume is ýThe Four Quartets.ý It is impossible in a short review to summarise the brilliance of these works. Written in the late thirties they are a masterful summation of the concerns of Eliotýs earlier works and a culmination of his examination of his own personal Christianity.

Between these three peaks are many works almost their equal. ýSweeney Agonistesý, ýAsh Wednesdayý, ýThe Hollow Mený, and excerpts from the ýThe Rocký among them.

To conclude this collection is a wonderful summary of the poetic works of one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century. For a complete overview of Eliot you should read at least one of his plays (ýMurder In The Cathedralý is my favourite) and one of his volumes of critical essays such as the two mentioned earlier. I would recommend this volume to anyone who enjoys poetry, particularly those who enjoy reading poetry over and over again.

If you can only get one book of poems, get this one. It has the most important poems before "Four Quartets". If you want more,get also "Four Quartets" and "Murder in the Cathedral" or, even better, get the collected poems.

It took me sometime before I could genuinely come to understand and appreciate his poetry: yet, nevertheless, the writings of American-born, anglocized author T.S Eliot have always held a peculiar fascination for me, and, it seems, for a number of other writers and laypeople as well. From the personal yet somehow universal, melancholy and self-doubting music of "The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" to the wild, multi-cultural, history spanning visions of urban chaos in "The Wasteland", Eliot's oeuvre is rich in religious, political, and philosophical themes, and played an enormous role in shaping the development of poetry in the twentieth-century (not to mention, on an obviously less signficant level, my own writing). Reading Eliot's serious poetry, however, requires a great deal of analytical prowess and is often a rather depressing experience (particularly in the beautiful "Prufrock"): nevertheless, those with patience will find that it is richly rewarding and can be appreciated on a superificial level simply for the entrancing rhythm of the music and haunting nature of the imagery, which, though informed by a number of sources, including Shakespeare, Dante, and Baudelaire, are written in a voice which is always distinctive and wholly original.

I admit I don't know a lot about poetry. For that reason I acknowledge that my review of Eliot's work is written with deference to other reviewers, i.e., I rely on their comments after having read Eliot's work. So this review is somewhat synergistic in that I've taken their comments into account as I offer my own observations.

One of my favorites in this work is from "Choruses From 'The Rock'":

"The Lord who created must wich us to create and employ our creation again in His service.
Which is already His service in creating.
For man is joined spirit and body.
Visible and invisible, two worlds meet in man;
Visible and invisible must meet in His temple;
You must not deny the body.
...For the work of creation is never without travail;"

I thought that this book was a great introduction to T. S. Eliot. It contains most of his really famous pieces, including The Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, A Love Song for J. Alfred Prufrock, and many others. If you like it, you might also try "Murder in the Cathedral."

On the road with Terence Winch in That Special Place. He takes the reader by the heart along a journey of moments remembered. Making quick stops at the corners of Galway and the Bronx, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, he reflects on his Irish American experience, unique to his place in time with friends, family, and the MUSIC that occupy it. He occasionally glances, not too long, down alley lanes haunted by grief and fear.

Good craic for anyone weathered and tendered by life.

In "That Special Place," Terence Winch manages to evoke the sights and sounds, and even the scents and tastes, of the many otherworldly settings in which traditional Irish music is played and heard. Terence can draw a portrait in prose like no one else, and his descriptions of the many colorful characters who populate his world are deserving of many rereads. For me, this transcendent book was equal parts Ciaran Carson's "Last Night's Fun" and Jimmy Breslin's "Table Money" (the former being a meditation on spontaneously-created Irish music, the latter being a roman à clef about an Irish family in New York, and both being great works, next to which this present volume can take its honored place). Terence can be sentimental in one passage, and humorous in the next, and at all events he manages to effortlessly transport you into his colorful world with every turn of phrase. Those of you who already know Terence Winch's work hopefully will have already snapped up this great volume of stories and poems. Those of you who are not familiar with his work should immediately rush to add this book to your collection. I finished "That Special Place" in just one sitting, and I plan to return to it again and again, just as I would revisit a favorite restaurant to savor its prize dishes.

Every story from this book transports me right to the middle of the action...I feel like I can smell the smoke of the bars and hear the music being played. I was amazed that 2 or 3 pages of a story evoked such a wide spectrum of emotions...laughter, longing, love. These stories connected me to people and places from another time...and I didn't want to come back. Finding good short stories is such a treasure and Terrence Winch seems to have no difficulty supplying us with beautiful writing, intriguing events and fantastic characters. I love this book and have already started re-reading my favorite stories!

Terence Winch's THAT SPECIAL PLACE evokes the whole range of emotions - I even laughed out loud from time to time. Reading it is like sitting comfortably and talking with family, friends, and neighbors. The book prompts an amazing flow of memories and ideas. Winch's passion for blood pudding took me back to my first and only encounter with the traditional Irish breakfast fare. His account of Willie Joe Carty's statement that "the famine wasn't so long ago" is a remarkable reminder of the connections between generations, and should encourage all of us to treasure the scarce resources of living history that all of our families represent. Everyone will greatly enjoy this book - especially those of Irish descent.

Terence Winch's new book, "That Special Place: New World Irish Stories", is a pure delight and can be read repeatedly for all the richness one finds there. A first generation Irish-American raised in the Bronx during the 50's, Winch is known for his distinguished career both as a musician and a writer. This latest book is a combination of reflections and vignettes about his life as the child of immigrant parents in a strong ethnic community and his adventures while working as a musician both in the U.S. and Ireland. If you have never heard of the "Irish Riviera" and think it must be somewhere off the western coast of Ireland, guess again. It was an area of Queens, otherwise know as Rockaway Beach, where the Winch family rented a cottage, his mother worked as a waitress, and the kids enjoyed both the beach and a host of lively characters who populated this colorful locale just outside of New York City. Winch relates how he and his brother spent their days on the beach just hanging out or collecting bottles for deposit. But it was the nights when the two boys met their mother after work and she treated them to ice cream or pizza that hold especially fond memories for him. As Winch weaves back and forth through time, he spins a tale that is populated with memorable characters, the zany and the mundane of a musician's existence and a deep respect for family and friends. In one piece entitled "The Pleasure Principle" Winch ambles through the story of one his favorite musical haunts and muses on how the sign behind the bar reading "Enjoy Life" could just have easily flashed "Get Really Drunk" on some nights while exhorting one to "Drink, Fight, Smoke" on others. But it is his meshing of the message on that sign coupled with his heartfelt story of a visit with his elderly Auntie Moll in Galway that places the sign's message within a deeper context. When Auntie Moll asks Winch and his wife if they are indeed enjoying life and they nod that they are, you can almost feel Moll's hand squeeze yours as she says, quite simply and lovingly, "Good, enjoy life." There is much life to savor and enjoy in this memorable book full of understated humor and a deep appreciation for family and friends.

The world has known the American West as the wild and untamed land of cowboys and Indians that Hollywood brought along with it's movies. The real story of the West is much more amazing than at first sight. Ward's story is beautifully illustrated with magnificent text that makes it a worthy successor to the movie series. He tells the story through the eyes of those who lived it and that is something very important in the history of the west. Without first hand accounts our knowledge would be vague, but this book captures the essence of all the west had and has to offer: adventure, a beautiful landscape, and a great mysterious past...

This book is well organized and written. It would make a
perfect reference for a class project. There are vivid scenes
from the American West; such as, a majestic portrait of
the legendary Davey Crockett. The Devil's Tower is depicted
in a picturesque Wyoming scene. There are beautiful still
photos of a Snake Priest and Hopi dancer. The author researched
this work thoroughly. It is representative of the early
West. The purchase is recommended as a top rated historical
reference book well-suited for students of all ages and
backgrounds.

The promos for "The West" series on PBS seemed to imply that Ken Burn's following up to his incredible "Civil War" epic would be as good as the Civil War was.

And it was. Burns was able to capture the whole panorama of the history of the West, and left no stone unturned. Here was the saga of the pioneers, the cruelty of the buffalo hunters, the tragedy of the Native Americans, the bravery of Custer - and of Crazy Horse and Chief Joseph, the terrible "die up" where thousands of poor cattle froze to death in the Montana blizzards, and the courage and perserverence of settlers like the Loves. The musical score too was perfect, capturing every dramatic movement, every nuance just right.

And the book too, while perhaps not as comprehensive as Geoffrey Ward's earlier "Civil War" volume, provided the viewer with a superb text and many, never-before-seen illustrations. The reader can sense the drama of the Earps and Wild Bill Hickok, can hope that Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce reach Canada and safety (which they didn't) and feel the heartbreak when Joseph was cruelly denied the return to his homeland. The reader can also cheer for the courtship of the Loves, and almost live the toil, the disappointments, and the determination of that family through the text, the first-hand accounts, and the marvellous illustrations. I found myself getting angry over the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Mormon scapegoating of the Paiutes; being sickened and almost in tears over the slaughter of the buffalo, and the old Native American woman's tale of how the last buffalo went into Mount Scott, never to return; and in appreciating how Buffalo Bill Cody and Theodore Roosevelt did their level best in trying to save the West that they loved - Cody through the Wild West shows, and Roosevelt through his conservation efforts.

It is all here in Mr. Ward's excellent text, and more. There may be other books on the West, but for the perfect introduction to anyone interested in Western History, or even for the grizzled enthusiast, this book is not only the perfect companion to the series, it is also a perfect coffee table pictorial history of a history and a lifestyle that is all but gone.

The West : An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward, Dayton Duncan has got to be one of the most "Can't put down" type of books I've had the wonderful pleasure of owning, ever! The illustrations, to many to count are of the finest quality I've ever seen in a book not to mention that the editorial choices were perfect. The photos depict the exact expressions that capture those lost moments in time... If you can get this book - buy it! It is for all ages and you could never grow tired reading it, as well. A certain coffee table type book! I rate this book a 5 STAR!

As a book based on a PBS documentary, it's a big coffee table affair with plenty of photos (I had the hardcover version). And there are some extraordinary pictures in there - while much of the period of history they're looking at (from November 1528 with a some shipwrecked Spaniards washing ashore on Galveston Island to the early 1900s) was pre-camera, much of it was post. Moreover there are maps, paintings and photos of relatively untouched landscape to illustrate earlier times.

That being said, there's also plenty of text. And being that they've consciously chosen to largely illustrate the time by retelling the stories of extraordinary and/or typical individuals of the times, there are many engaging and fascinating stories. C'mon, the whole interaction between European settlers and the native Americans is chock full of tragedy, adventure and colour - you'd have to work hard to make this sort of content boring (although it's been done). It's a very palatable way of reading history, not getting bogged down in statistics or alternate interpretations. Of course in their selection of material you're definitely getting only one version of events, and the bias, while generally subtle, is unavoidable. But, hey, given that I hardly had any version before, this gave me a lot more of an idea than I had.

You have to suffer the odd overblown essay thrown in here and there, where guest writers try to outdo each other for sentimentality and bogus psuedo-spiritual flapdoodle about (FX: turn the reverb right up) `The West'. At least it's not quite as silly as the religious fervour some attach to Baseball as some sort of sacred ritual - but it is still silly. Sure, the West is an amazing place, it's more than just some rocks and sand - we get it. You going on in with some gushy mysticism really just cheapens it - let it speak for itself.

Well, that's what I reckon anyway. But, as I said, the self-conscious attempts at grand writing are only aberrations, most of the time you are treated with amazing but true stories. If that's the sort of history you're after, it delivers.